Closure cap for containers



March 18, 1958 w.- MARTIN 2,827,193

CLOSURE CAP FOR CONTAINERS Filed Sept. 6, 1955 United States Patent CLOSURE CAP FOR CONTAINERS Warren N. Martin, Prairie Village, Kane.

Application September 6, 1955, Serial No. 532,431

8 Claims. (Cl. 21543) This invention relates to containers and closures therefor and, more particularly, to an improved form of bottle and safety cap therefor.

In my co-pending application Serial No. 488,587 entitled Container Closure and filed February 16, 1955, now Patent No. 2,752,060, there are pointed out a number of the reasons why it is desirable to provide containers having closure caps adapted for removal only by adults intentionally applying a special technique in the manipulation of the package to remove the cap from the container. Especially notable among these reasons for providing safety caps upon containers is to prevent the removal of same by children who might be injured through access to the contents of the container.

The present invention is concerned with an improvement of different and distinct nature from that disclosed in my aforesaid co-pending application, although intended for the accomplishment of the same broad objectives.

More specifically, it is the most important object of this invention to provide safety containers and cap structure wherein are means for releasably locking the cap upon the container, not only against ultimate removal of the cap from the container, but also against any retrograde screwing of the cap from a fully seated position upon the container. The desirability of this feature will be obvious as it applies to containers for liquid materials, such as many poisons, where it is desirable to prevent breaking the closing seal upon the container except through the intentional manipulations of the structure by an adult.

Another important object of the invention is to provide a safety container and cap structure which are of nature resistant to the effects of vibration, jarring or the like during shipping or transportation and which will remain fully closed and sealed despite subjection to such forces. 7

Many other important objects of the invention, including important details of construction, will be made clear or become apparent as the following description of the invention progresses.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary elevational view of a container made in accordance with the invention and having a safety cap made in accordance with the invention shown in cross-section in fully seated disposition thereon;

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 11-41 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on line III-411 of Fig. l;

.Fig. 4 is a .view similar to that of Fig. 1 showing a modified form of container and cap; and

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken on line V-V of Fig. 4.

Referring now first to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, a container designated it is shown for purposes of illustration in the form of an ordinary glass bottle such as might be utilized for the packaging of various medicines and other materials. Container 1% is provided with a sub- 23.22193 Patented Mar. 18, 1958 stantially cylindrical neck portion 12 having a set of external threads 14 formed thereon, the extremity of neck portion 12 being open at 16. Formed upon neck portion 12 below threads 14 are a pair of opposed projections generally designated 18 and 20 each having a face 22 extending substantially radially from portion 12 of container 10 and a sloped surface 24 extending from the outermost extremity of the face 22 into the neck portion 12 substantially tangential to the curvature of the latter.

A safety cap as contemplated by the invention is formed of resilient material and generally designated 34 Cap 30 is of generally cylindrical or slightly frustoconical configuration having a top wall 32 and a side wall 34, the latter preferably being flared out as at 38 adjacent its open, normally lowermost extremity. Side wall 34 is provided with internally extending structure presenting internal threads 36 operablyengageable with external threads 14 of container portion 12. Side wall 3 5- is also provided below the thread portions 3:? thereof with other inwardly extending structure presenting an opposed pair of sets generally designated 49 and #12 of sawtooth-like teeth. Although each set 40 and 42 could conceivably include only a single tooth 44, it is to be preferred that each of sets 49 and 42 include several teeth 44 in adjacent relationship to provide for locking of the cap 30 upon the container 10 with various degrees of tightening of the cap 30 upon screws 14 such as may be required as wear occurs upon a conventional sealing gasket 46 disposed within cap 39 adjacent top wall 32 thereof for effecting a fluid-tight seal between the cap 30 and the container 10 when the cap 35 is fully screwed upon the container 10.-

Each of teeth 44 includes a face/i8 disposed substantially radially to the axis of container portion 12 when the cap 30 is on container 10 and a sloped surface 5% extending from the innermost extremity of the face '43 of such tooth 44 to the inner surface of, side wall 3 2 or the outermost extremity of an adjacent tooth 4 2-, as the case may be. t V 7 Referring now particularly to Fig. 2 the interengagement between the radial face 22 .of each of projections 18 and 20 and the radial face 48. of a corresponding tooth 44 of the corresponding set 4% and 42 thereof when the cap 30 is fully screwed upon the container 19 will be evident. It will .also be understood that during screwing of the cap 30 onto the container in, by virtue of the resilient nature, of cap 3% the side wall 3 will deform sufiiciently to permit the sliding of the surfaces 3% of teeth 44 over the surfaces 24 of the proiections 18 and 20 until the cap 30 is rotated to its fully seated position.. When in such condition, it will be apparent that the interlocking engagement between faces 48 and 22 prevents retrograde rotation of the cap 313 on container 10 and, therefore, retains the same in a closed, sealed condition until force is oppositely applied to the side wall 34 as indicated by the arrows 52 and 54 in Fig. 2 to deform thevside wall 34 of cap 30 from its normal configuration to the configuration illustrated in dotted lines. When the side wall 34 ofcap 3% has been so deformed to the dotted line condition, it will be clear thatthe teeth 44 are moved outwardlyv a distance sudcient to clear the projections 18 audit). Accordingly, the removal of the cap 3%) from the container it involves the application of squeezing force as at 52 and s4. and the simultaneous retrograde rotation of cap 35.? to unthread the threaded portions 35 of cap 39 from the threads 14 of container 10 until the teeth 44 will clear the projections 18 and 20 whereupon the removal of the cap 3% may be completed by continuing the retrograde rotation to completely unt'nread the cap from the threads 14. The flaring as at 38 of side wall 34 of cap 3% disposes surfaces 50 of teeth 44..

the teeth 44 injsuch manner thatthe distance therebetween is suflicient to clear threads 14, once the teeth 44 are disengaged from projections 18 and 20. V 7

It may be observed that, although theabove described action for removing the cap 30 from the container 1!) is 'quite simple and relatively convenient once thetechniqne is known, the'possibility of removal of the cap 3 from container by a small child is remote. S imilarly the probability of inadvertent removal of the cap from container 10 by an adult, as atnight in the dark, is unlikely." H a V Referringrnow more particularly to Figs. 4 and 5,

assigns wherein is illustrated a modified form of the invention,

a container provided with a generally cylindricnl neck portion 112 ;having a set of external, double threads '114 and'115 thereon is shown. Container 116 is also provided with a pair of opposed projections 118 and 129,

which are similar to, projections 18 and 2fi above deseribed but are disposed between the lowerm o st turns of threads 114 and 1 1 5, as bestshownin Fig. 4.- V V o p The safety cap contemplated by the modified @form V of the invention is designated 130;and includes a top wall 132 and a side wall 134 formed of resilient material, the latter having an inturned shoulder portion 135 a djacent top wall 132 for accommodating theuppermost extremityof container portion 112 to center the'cap 130 n thereon. A gasket designated 1 4 6 maybe provided Wltlh' in cap 130 adjacent top wall132.

. Cap 130 is also provided with internally extending structure in the form of two opposed sets of teeth generally designated 140 and l42, which are in all respects similar to sets'40 and 42 of teeth '44 described in convidual teeth ofsets'140 and 142 are indicated by the numeral 144 and are each provided with aradial face to faces 48 and a and a sloping surface respectively similar In the operation of the the sets 140 and142 of teeth 144 are themselves operably engageable with the threads 114 andof container 110 so as to move downwardly between the latter as the cap 130 is rotatedrupon the container 110. Asrotation of cap 130 is continued the sets140 and .142 of teeth 144 advance downwardly'between the threads 114 and 115 until a tooth 144 of each of sets 140 and 142' is engaged in lockedcondition with a corresponding projection 118 or on'the container110.

' v -It maybe notedthat the inner diameter of the cap 1 3 0 adjacent the open end thereof as at '138 is substantially greater than the outer diameter of the threads '114 and 115, sow'that squeezing force may be oppositely applied to the side wall 134 of cap to distort the same'for moving the teeth'144 clear 'of the projections '118 and 120 to Permit emoval ofithe cap 130 from th o j tainer;-110. I a r a It willnow be manifest that both of the illustrated em aqka i 'msans cpmprisins as nta s ha in a substantiallycylindrical portion open at one extremity thereof and provided with external threads; a reusable hollow closure cap of resilient material for saidcontainer adapted to fit over said one extremity of the latter and provided with internally extending structure of which at least a portion is adapted for threading engagement j with said threadsof the container; anda single pair only e of opposed, external projections on thecontainer engageable with opposed parts of said structure to prevent retrograde rotation: of the cap upon the conta-iner when the cap isfully screwed .upon said threads of the container; i 7 each projection having a fa ce substantially radial to said portion of the container anda surface substantially tangent to the curvature of said portion'of the container'extending from the outermost extremity of said face, said cap being distortable without breaking from its' normal .nection with the first form of the invention. 'The indimodified form of the invention;

bodiments of the invention are ideally adapted for'the accomplishment of its'above mentioned objectives. 'fIt of the j invention.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as'new and desired to be secured by Letters Patentjs:

container. 7 V V 7. In the packaging means as set forth'fin claim 1,

wherein said opposed parts 'of the structure' eachlconiprises a series of aligned, similarly facingtee'th'each have j configuration upon application of squeezing foreethereto to a temporary configuration disposing said parts of n said structure a greater distance apart than the distance between the outermost extremities of said projections,"

whereby the cap may then be rotated uponthe container in a retrograde direction forremoval therefrom,

' 2. In the packagingmeans as'set forth in claim '1', wherein said parts of said structure each have a face substantially radi-al to said portion of .the container when the cap is on the latter and a sloped surface extending from the outermost extremity of said face;

3. In the packaging meansas set forth in claim 2}. wherein said projections each have. a face substantially radial to said portion of the container andasurface substantially tangent to thecurvature of said portion of the container extending from the outermost extremity of said. last-mentioned faceQsaid faces of saidparts of the structure being engageable with said faces of said projections when the cap'is fully screwedupon thecontainer. .4. In the packaging. means as set forthfin -claim.2,' wherein said structure includes, besides said partsthereof, a set of internal threads openably 'engageable with said'threads of the container.

5. In the packaging means as set .forth'in' claimi2 i wherein said parts'of said structure constitute the whole thereof and are themselves operably engageable -with said j 7 threads of the container. a H: e

6. In the packaging means as set forth in claim 2, wherein said parts of said structure are spaced ,apart a distance sufiicient'to clear said external threads on the ing a face substantially radial to said portion ,ofthe' container when the cap is on the latter and ,a sloped V 7 surface extending inwardly from the outermostextrem ity of said face.

7 8. In the packaging means as set foi th in cl aiin 1 wherein said projections each have ;a face substantially radial to'said portion of the container and a surface sub.-

stantially tangent to the cur'vature of said portion of" the s container extending from the outermost extremity: of said face.

References Citedinthe file ofthis patent V UNITED STATES PATENTS 7 1,612,015 2,423,582 2,684,168

Coleman July 8, 1947 Hammer Dec. 1926 McGinnis etal. July 20, 1954 

